The 1949
Written by: Zeean Firmeza Let us now delve into the late 1940's eras. Frankly, this era is not as widely discussed as the 70's, 80's, and the 90's and after Catcher in the Rye, one might ask themselves: how was life back then? By asking this question and figuring out the culture, we can further disseminate Holden and the other characters' lifestyle and their choices. First, let's go back in time, way before Despacito is a hit and hit the play button: TOP 30 GREATEST SONGS 1940-1949. We will further analyze the songs and artists that were a hit in the 1940's! LIFE OF A TYPICAL TEENAGER No, there was no gaming or Youtube during the 1940's and technology was not a big factor to those teenagers unlike the current ones right now. Teens at this point show a shift from their mundane and simplistic life style after the rise of markets catering to their interests and also because of the pos World War II. This era is when the term TEENAGER had gotten popular and How was being a teenager like in the 1940's? No doubt, this is the best question to ask when analyzing Catcher in the Rye. Although Catcher in the Rye does not represent all the teenagers of this time, it does highlight some important points of how life was like back then for teens. The term "teenager" was not popular at that time, but it is slowly beginning to catch society's attention. According David Fowler, it was coined and recognized in the 1950's. The late 50's signifies the beginning of rebellious teenage culture. J.D Salinger , unintentional or not, wrote Holden Caulfield as a rebellious, confused teen of 1949. 1949 was the end of the mundane teenage life and the pivotal start of what it means to be a teenager. To digress, the adolescents of this era generally did not dress in eccentric fashion. In fact, you can see that they look much more older than their actual age. Further analysis of the fashion will be talked about in this wiki page. The teenager of this time did not even consider themselves as a separate group and there was no push for individualism. They were much more independent in this time and looked for jobs more frequently. The middle-class teenagers would find themselves in ample amount of jobs and they'd keep their money for themselves. Parents of this era, of course, provided them proper housing and education but left them to their own devices. Boys and girls grew up at a rapid pace, in a sense that they were likely to be employed in late teens. The working culture of the teenagers at this time caught the eyes of businesses as teens have their very own income and they became much more relevant to society. Holden Caulfield and other privilege students in the book, do not represent this working class of teenagers. Holden does not work and heavily rely on his parents and gift money to go out to places and school. It is important to note that he does represent what every, typical teenager would do: go to cinemas and dance halls. Cinemas and dance halls in the 1940s were usually filled with youth on the weekends. How so? It is due to the fact that they earn their money and caught their attention. Dance halls were a way for the guys and the girls to flirt and court each other. No, there was no DJs at this time but rather, live music. Holden and the youth characters in the book frequented those places and even more so, the setting is usually either those two places. Since there was and still is a high importance of being a grown up at this time, Holden found himself lost at what to do. Other teenagers were already set and are expected to attend an University, while Holden finds himself thoroughly confused. He feels terrible at the fact that everyone did not have individualism and it leads people to become hypocritical. Holden finds himself growing up prematurely just like the teenagers of this time. So''unds familiar? Yes, it does. His feelings of this era marks the beginning of the rebellious 1950's and the endless fight for individualism and enjoying youth as it is.'' Salinger truly astounded the teenage audience of the 1940's and 1950's. Clever of him to set the story at 1949, the end of teenagers not being recognized. FASHION The first attribute of an era that people usually look for is: the fashion. The fashion of a certain time can tell us more than what the eye can see. It includes the society view on women, workforce, government, and much more. The 1940's is not an exception to this. After World War 2, "work" or "utility" fashion was widely popular. Teenagers will typically wear blazers/coats, skirts that reach slightly below their knees, and wore button down blouses that are padded and square shaped. Hats like berets, headscarfs, and snood were popular amongst the women. Around late 1940's, women slowly shifted from utility fashion to clothes that brings out their femininity. They found their square shouldered blouses become much more rounded and generally, their clothes embraced their figures. Pants and bikinis made its way to women at this time. The adolescent boys frankly did not even dress like... a teenage boy of our time. They wore what adult men would typically wear but added their own style for it. They would wear suits and often mimic their own father's style. As you can see, business attire was widely popular to the teenage boys. You could attribute this to the fact that teenagers wanted to grow up much more faster and look mature. The guys would dress professionally to attract girls. Pants and button downs alongside with knit sweaters were used for casual weekends. As you can see, the attire of the teenagers looked much more outdated and mundane. There was no emphasis on being individual style and they'd rather look mature like their parents and adults. This is quite fitting as teenagers were independent and usually work when they are late teens. TEENAGE DIALECT Did our peers at this age use absurd slang language like "bruh" or "OMG"? While they did not use shortcuts or use incoherent sounds to display their emotions, they certainly did have phrases that we may consider odd as of today. Here are the few examples I found from Your Dictionary: * Ameche - To make a phone call. * Armored heifer - Canned milk. * Bum rap - A false accusation. * Bust your chops - Used as a scolding, maybe to yell, but not to literally hit someone. * Buzz - Feeling tipsy. We still use this word today and it still refers to being tipsy. * Cheesy - In the 1940s it meant cheap. * Chicken - A coward. Today it still means the same thing. * Chrome-dome - This used to be a mildly offensive word for a bald man. * Crack up - To burst out laughing. * Dame - A woman. * Dope - Often used as slang for drugs, in wartime 1940s this word took on another meaning, referring to information, especially reliable info, but that usage soon died out. * Eager beaver - Used to call someone an enthusiastic helper or someone who was overly excited about something. * Fat-head - A stupid or foolish person. * Fix -This word is still used today and it means a dose of drugs (narcotics); in the 1940s it was often used when referencing drug fiends. * Geezer - An old person. * Gas - No this wasn't what you put in your car, it was either a good time or something that was really funny. * Jive bomber - A good dancer. * Joe - Coffee. * Killer diller - Something that is the best, or amazing. * Lettuce - Paper money. * Moxie - Courage or strong nerves. * On the beam - On the right track or course; cool. * Pass the buck - Implied that someone wasn't taking responsibility for their actions or that they were blaming someone one else. * Rhubarb - An argument or squabble, first used in reference to disputes in baseball. * Snap your cap - Get angry. * Swigger - A drinker. * What's buzzin', cousin? - How's it going? While not all of the words in the list made it in Holden and the other teenagers characters' mouth, you could see the colloquial terms that are quite similar to their vocabulary in the book. A striking detail about the colloquial language of this time is: the words do not have the same definitions in slang language. This means that the original meaning of the words are changed into a completely new meaning. Another detail that catches people's attention, especially the reader's of this generation, is the brashness of the words and their meaning. For example, one might expect that "Killer diller" would be a negative slang for someone, but in fact, it is a term for someone amazing at something. To further prove how J.D Salinger successfully demonstrated the language of the teenager of this time, let us look into some of the slang that Holden and the other characters have said: Note: analyzing context clues can help readers configure the meaning of the word. Throw - sexual intercourse Old bag- an old person Neck them- kissing Shooting the crap - useless chit chat, gossip, or idle talk Dough- money Crumby- lousy wutchamacallit- "what you may call it" Swanky- luxurious A buzz- to call someone Swell- looking good and attractive Handsome chap- a handsome guy Flit/ flitty- flit is a slang term for a homosexual. Flitty is an adjective for someone who appears homosexual Horsing around- to joke, mess around, and in the book, Holden typically offends someone when he jokes around. These are the few slang words that are mentioned in the book. You could see the stark similarity between the list by YourDictionary and the book itself. They are usually double meaning and a reader of this time might miss out the real meaning of a slang in Catcher in the Rye. Last note is: Holden and his peers would say "you" as "ya". Note that Holden is from New York and they have their own accent as well. Others in the book may have different accents based on where they are from. THE MUSIC TASTE Do you love listening to old Christmas songs? Especially by Frank Sinatra? Then this is the era you are looking for! Music genres like swing and jazz were so popular. Swing music is an emphasis on the off beat portion of the music and singing improv. Jazz is created by the African-American communities and it is a combination of blue notes and swing. These music were heavily played in dance halls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkzTTQGHWrI Some of top and notable artists at that time were: * Bing Crosby . * Benny Goodamn * Frank Sinatra * Louis Armstrong * Billie Holiday * Peggy Lee There are much more but music thrived right after the WW2 and poverty. Here is a complete list of artists that were popular at that time and a play list of the hit songs: CLICK HERE MEDIAN INCOME Economy keeps changing and seventy years later, we might find that a dollar is worth more in the 1940s than it is in 2018. According to National Public Radio, men would earn about $956 per year. This is to take in consideration the working class of that time. Women, of course, earned less than men and there is a big wage gap. The minimum wage was $0.40 and this was equivalent to $3.49! In general, money is worth MUCH more in the 1940s. Most jobs for the middle class was manufacturing and agriculture. Jobs for upper class consisted professional services, the professions that would require college level degrees. Now, keep in mind that the middle class and their jobs made up most of United States' economy of that time. What does this mean for Holden Caulfield? He's a very privilege teenager from a wealthy family. ''Private educational institutions cost about $800-$1,000! ''That is the median income, if not much more! Here is an example of the costs of a private school: https://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/tuition/1940.html (click it!) The fact that Holden keeps switching and getting kicked out of private schools even highlights how wealthy his parents are. His parents must earn more than the average income in order to help Holden find new private schools. The teenager clearly does not know how privilege he is to attend a private school! He keeps getting kicked out because he does not like the school system and he hates the people, but it makes him very hypocritical. Most teenagers do not end up getting college degrees and wind up in factories, even though there was an emphasis of getting a job. It seems that the wealthy could only afford universities and colleges and make themselves more richer by having professional jobs. It is important to note that Holden has wasted money that is more than the minimum wage gap at that time. His grandmother's gift money costs more than a salary of a factory worker! He simply waste the money via his weekend fiasco. Understanding the median income can show us part of holden's character: being impulsive and not thinking about his actions. THE CONCLUSION Understanding the culture of the 1940's can help us look at Holden Caulfield in depth. The way society perceived adolescents in 1949, which is the end of 1940's, can help us understand why Holden may act the way he is. Because his parents and people's parents were less involve in their teen's life, Holden and other teens at that time may feel at lost. There was no guidance, real emotional support, for Holden because of the time. Not every teenager is the same as one another and that is what Catcher in the Rye is trying to convey. People expect us, teenagers, to be more mature but in reality, we are between the cusp of childhood and adulthood. The 1940s adolescents wee fortunate to be working, yet unfortunate because they were mundane and lost their childhood early. There was no sense of individualism. But, the book brought more awareness at the mental state of teenagers and questioned society: what does it mean to be an adolescent? Holden Caulfield may have been a privilege youth, but we clearly see that his mental health is deteriorating because of the societal norms of his time. Other youth may have experienced this mental health deterioration and connected, which is why Catcher in the Rye became the prized book read by teenagers and adults. Truly, J.D. Salinger wrote the daring Catcher in the Rye that addresses the adolescents' gripping problems: mental health and the fact that teenagers are rarely acknowledged in the 1940s.